Strabismus: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment | Goyal Eye
                     UNDERSTANDING STRABISMUS 
OR SQUINT
Strabismus, also known as squint eye, is 
an eye disorder in which both eyes don’t 
line up in the same direction. One eye 
gazes straight ahead, while the other 
may turn inward ( esotropia), outward 
(exotropia), upward, or downward. 
Hence, a person with this condition can’t 
look at the same object simultaneously.
Possibilities are also there for a person to 
face different problems in calculating the 
estimated distance between objects. 
Some other issues are also related to the 
impacted eye, which can affect any 
person, irrespective of age or gender.
Strabismus Symptoms
Various symptoms can characterize strabismus, including:
•If both eyes don’t look in the same direction.
•If both the eyeballs don’t move together.
•Closing one eye in bright sunlight.
•If you must tilt or turn your head to look at a peripheral object.
•If you won’t be able to judge the depth.
•Problems like headaches and eyestrain might occur during minor 
misalignment.
How does strabismus affect you?
Your eyes mainly comprise six muscles that work in tandem for a coordinated 
movement of the eyes. These extraocular muscles make both eyes look straight and 
focus on a single object. Both eyes of a person with normal vision merge the two 
pictures into a single 3D image. This 3D picture helps us to measure the depth of 
field.
When one misaligned eye and a properly functioning eye send two different pictures 
to the brain, the mind prefers ignoring the image from the non-aligned eye. Because 
of this malfunctioning, understanding depth becomes complicated, especially in kids. 
However, this situation differs among adults as their brains have already learned to 
receive two pictures.
Studies have confirmed that malfunctioning of extraocular muscles becomes the root 
cause of /Strabismus. This malfunction usually occurs due to muscles themselves, 
associated nerves, or the area in the brain that controls extraocular muscles.
Retina damage in premature babies or Hemangioma (abnormal growth of blood 
vessels) near the eye among infants may also be possible causes.
A child also causes Accommodative Esotropia (a condition of excessive focusing that a 
child with uncorrected farsightedness experiences).
How is eye muscle surgery for Strabismus performed?
Eye muscle surgery is a frequently used and safe squint eye 
treatment. During the procedure, the surgeon will make an incision in 
the conjunctiva, the membrane covering the white part of the eye. 
The surgeon will then access the eye muscle and either expand or 
reduce it as needed to achieve optimal alignment.